Are carnivorous plants autotrophic or heterotrophic?
• Trillium cuneatumTrillium cuneatum: autotroph • Dodecatheon alpinumDodecatheon alpinum: autotroph • Monotropa unifloraMonotropa uniflora: heterotroph • Corallorhiza maculataCorallorhiza maculata: heterotroph A: This is one of those specific, semi-technical questions that I get from time to time which are clearly part of someone’s science homework. If you fall into this category, do not copy my answer verbatim. I assure you, your teacher will catch you. (I bet you don’t know about the international teacher communication network, do you? I have a special pass to it that lets me make sure you can’t cheat on your homework and get away with it). So when you complete your homework, answer in your own words! “Autotrophs” are life forms that can survive on simple molecules that are not preprocessed by other life forms. Conventional (noncarnivorous) plants are clearly autotrophs. They require water, CO2, light, and simple mineral nutrients to survive. “Heterotrophs” are life forms that requir
